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Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, called immigration reform a moral imperative at rally in Midland Beach.
(Staten Island Advance/Timothy Harrison)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A diverse
group of Staten Island faith-based leaders gathered in Midland Beach Tuesday to
urge Rep. Michael Grimm to support immigration reform legislation being
considered in Congress.

The group, which included Catholic, Jewish and Muslim leaders,
was remarkably in step considering its widely divergent positions on other
social issues. But the leaders were careful not to alienate Grimm, who did
not attend the event and has expressed concerns over the version of the
legislation passed by the U.S. Senate in June.

The executive director of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese
of New York, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, called the legislation a moral imperative. "Our
nation needs a society in which people are welcome, a society in which millions
of people no longer have to fearfully live in the shadows," Monsignor Sullivan said.

He denounced the sort of deportation that has torn some immigrant
families apart, when the parents of U.S.-born children are sent back to their native
countries. That was the experience of Maggie Kawas's father, who was deported to
Jordan when she was 14.

"These are not just numbers," said Ms. Kawas, now 23, in
front of Monsignor James Dorney, Imam Tahir Kuqiqi, Rabbi Michael Howald, the
Rev. Dr. Victor Brown, and 50 others.

Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) insisted in a
statement that discussions of a path to citizenship should only come after a "comprehensive
plan that first closes our borders, mandates E-Verify so that we don't have
illegal workers, and fixes our broken visa system so that we can track those
overstaying their visits."

The version of immigration reform legislation that the House
will vote on is still being drafted, Grimm said. "I cannot say whether or not I
will support it until I have a chance to read the final version," he said.

The event Tuesday was organized by the executive director of
Project Hospitality, the Rev. Terry Troia, who said nothing publicly during the
press conference, other than a bid after it ended.

"Get on the phone and call Congressman Grimm today," she
shouted.---Follow @siadvance on Twitter, join us on Facebook